


You smiled because you knew

by Shiba_K



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-03
Updated: 2015-11-03
Packaged: 2018-04-29 18:40:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5138462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shiba_K/pseuds/Shiba_K
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>"When I saw you I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew"</em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	You smiled because you knew

**Author's Note:**

> My contribution to the already sizable corpus of Coffee Shop AUs. Inspired by Peter Capaldi's amazing guitar-playing Doctor and the photos from the finale. 
> 
> The quote is taken from the Italian opera 'Falstaff', based on Shakespeare's play 'Merry wives of Windsor'. The actual quote is by Arrigo Boito (Come ti vidi, m'innamorai, e tu sorridi, perchè lo sai).

The _Owl and Time_ was a small café in a quiet part of London, far from the busy center and crowded tourist sights. An out of the way place, a door hidden in a side street, quiet and known only by few. The people went there for the warm and cozy atmosphere created by the soft lights and wooden décor, the simple but good food, and of course, the music. Saturday night was a special music night at the _Owl and Time_. Always a different artist, always relatively unknown, just like the café itself. 

Clara Oswald, 29, worked as a part time waitress, in part as a favor to her friend who owned the café, in part to pay the rent while she looked for a teaching job. She weaved her way expertly to a table near the stage where a group of students had just taken their seats, a smile gracing her lips as she took their orders. A brief look around told her the place was filling up pretty fast. It was all due to the artist coming to perform tonight. 

John Smith, or as her friend _slash_ boss had called him: _The Doctor_. Part time musician, part time professor, or so she had been told. Peculiar man, even more peculiar artist name, generally not very sociable, but apparently he knew how to handle a guitar. Therefore he had been invited to come and do a small show at the _Owl and Time_.

Clara had never heard of him. Even though the sea of people present seemed to indicate he was fairly popular, she had no idea what to expect for tonight. The silver-haired man wearing a brown jacket and with dark sunglasses perched on his nose had certainly been the last thing she had imagined. A bright red guitar slung over his shoulder swung a little as the man walked up the stairs to the podium. 

The Doctor. That was him. 

Clara had moved closer the bar, intent on grabbing the different orders when the Doctor had made his entrance. A soft murmur had gone through the audience when he had entered, and she had felt a buzzing wave of excitement build up in the room. It had caused her to look back over her shoulder at the stage where her eyes had finally caught sight of this puzzling artist. 

With a keen sense of interest, Clara noted that the man himself looked like he would have rather been anywhere else except there, his body language screaming discomfort. About as excited at the prospect of performing tonight as someone going to the dentist, she reckoned. 

And yet… Something about him struck her. 

Maybe it was the graceful way his long fingers glided over his guitar as he gently strummed the instrument. Or perhaps it was the fact that she couldn’t see his eyes, hidden as they were behind his dark shades. It spiked her curiosity. 

Who wore sunglasses indoors anyways. 

Shaking herself from her stupor, Clara loaded her tray with the drinks and food, efficiently moving from one table to the next. She decided to ignore the night’s entertainment and focus on her job. There were customers waiting, and she certainly didn’t have the time to ponder why this man had made her heart beat just a little faster when she laid eyes on him. 

She was being stupid, that was all.

Then he started singing. 

A gruff Scottish voice filled the crowded room, accompanied by the melodious sounds of his guitar. Clara froze, her gaze lifting from her tray to the man on stage and she felt the goosebumps rise on her arms, felt an indescribable magnetic pull toward him through his music. Gone was the uncomfortable man, replaced by someone completely at ease in their own skin.

A stillness had descended over the café while the Doctor sang, and Clara found she could no longer take her eyes off of him, half sitting on the stool at center of the podium, one long leg stretched out in front of him and the other bent to rest his guitar on it. The words of his song didn’t even register in her mind. She only heard the curiously comforting sound of his voice, his Scottish accent bending with the emotions portrayed in his music. 

She watched enthralled how his hands cradled his guitar, elegant fingers plucking at the strings effortlessly, the notes learned by heart, muscle memory directing his movements. 

When his gaze found hers, Clara’s breath got stuck in her throat. His sunglasses had fallen down his nose revealing piercing gray eyes that held hers, spellbound. The audience and the café around her melted away. Clara was only aware of his voice and him, nothing else. Her heart had seized the moment they had locked eyes only to start up an erratic beat, seemingly wanting to flee from her chest. A tingling warmth spread throughout her body as butterflies fluttered in her belly.

In that instant, Clara Oswald knew she had fallen hard for the Doctor.

The Doctor let the last note of his song fade away slowly, never breaking their eye contact. A self-assured smile tugged at the corners of his lips, soon transforming itself into a full blown grin. Letting go of his guitar, he pushed his sunglasses back up his nose, giving the stunned brunette a knowing smile. 

Fin


End file.
